They’re Doing A Sequel! [Muppets Most Wanted Press Conference]

Why does that line get to us, regardless of our age? Whether you’re 7 or 77 or even 777, you’ve probably seen the Muppets, and you’ve probably found them incredibly funny. That’s the beauty of the Muppets (or Miss Piggy?) – they’re able to get a laugh out of all different kinds of people of all ages. From the 1950’s up till today, the Muppets continue to bring joy across all generations. The laughter keeps going as the newest Muppets movie “Muppets Most Wanted” will be in theaters starting this Friday, March 21.

It begs the question: will this movie have the same timeless humor the previous ones did? A press conference held last week in beautiful Beverly Hills, CA revealed much about both the movie itself as well as the characters who starred in it.

The day opened with a two-part press conference, allowing us to congratulate the cast and crew as well as ask those nagging questions that we had about the film.

First, we were introduced to James Bobin (director), Todd Lieberman (producer), and Bret McKenzie (musician). They began by describing the transition between the 2011 movie and this sequel, particularly discussing the knowledge they gained during the first movie and the joy of coming together to create a second.

Much of the Muppet’s humor is found in their songs; who can forget classics like, “Movin’ Right Along” or their latest hit, “Man or Muppet”? The press release revealed that this new movie’s music will be just as funny and just as catchy as previous Muppets music. This movie’s tunes, after all, are written by Bret McKenzie, member of Flight of the Conchords and winner of 2011 Oscar for his work on The Muppets’ “Man or Muppet”.

This discussion also revealed that “Muppets Most Wanted” was not the original title of the movie – it was actually going to be called “The Muppets Again”! You can hear hints of this in the opening song; it ends with the line, “It’s the Muppets again, we’re the Muppets again! It’s the Muppets!” Unfortunately the title was changed last minute, and while they attempted to change the song lyrics to, “It’s the Muppets most wanted!” they decided that they would keep the original wording, if not the original title. Despite changes to the title, this new movie proves to have the same musical, lyrical humor with which previous Muppet movies captures our attention.

Another amazing element that makes the Muppets so much fun to watch is they way the Muppet world spills over into ours. Everyone loves seeing their favorite celebrity interact with their favorite Muppet, and much of this will be seen in the new movie, which star celebrities and comedic giants like Tina Fey, Ricky Gervais, Ty Burrell as they take themselves a little less seriously and have fun being Muppet-like themselves.

Sam the Eagle had to leave mid-conference to attend to his duty as a hotel guard, but Miss Piggy, of course, came fashionably late and was able to take his place. Her presence caused a stir and revealed that she, like many of the other Muppets, was still unable to distinguish between Kermit and Constantine. The press conference ended just after a discussion on the possibilities of a “little green pig and a little pink frog” for Miss Piggy and Kermit.

Between it all, the question still remains – is them doing a sequel the right way to go? We’ve already watched the film and have a SPOILER-FREE review coming your way soon, so be sure to check back soon for that.

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What are you looking forward to most in this movie? The music? The story? The funny? The everything? Would you even go to the theaters to see it right now? Let us know in the comments!

DisneyExaminer managing editor. I'm pretty sure I can quote every line of Disney's Aladdin, but I haven't actually tried (yet). Tell me your favorite Disney movie at @emmabeltami or check out my latest work at emmabeltami.com.